Drama arises in Tutwa’s property
A LEGAL battle over the estate of late politician,Tutwa Sandani Ngulube, has emerged with the mothers of his children born outside wedlock demanding a share of his properties worth millions of Kwacha.
The mothers of five children aged between 15 and one, sued in the Lusaka High Court seeking an order for administrators to render an inventory and account of Mr Ngulube's estate and to distribute it accordingly.
They want an account of the monies that are in Golden Sonnets Hotels, motor vehicles, rentals from properties in Kabwe and Kapiri Mposhi, use of three mobile phones and a laptop.
Ms Chuma Catherine Kuntepa, suing as guardian of the five children cited the widow, Ms Mupeta Sokontwe and the deceased's sister, Tawanda Tafwakose Ngulube,
both administrators of the estate, as respondents in the matter.
The applicant revealed that the Ngulube estate has children in excess of 14, including a special needs child, who are being deprived of their entitlement.
Ms Kuntepa stated that Mr Ngulube, a former PF Kabwe Central Member of Parliament died intestate on December 3, 2022 and in March, 2023, the respondents were granted letters of administration.
She however stated that the administrators had continued to run his businesses as an ongoing concern with the view to enhance the estate instead of collecting the estate, evaluating the estate, declaring the administrator’s path and distributing it to the beneficiaries.
Ms Kuntepa state that the five minors are living in rented accommodation where their mothers are struggling to pay the said rentals each month while some of the other children were living in houses of the estate.
"That the respondents, while acting jointly, have willfully and unfairly deprived the other beneficiaries of the estate of the late Tutwa Sandani Ngulube, their share and entitlement of a three bedrooms house where the deceased resided at NHA Gardens in Lueaka by placing the ailing mother to the deceased in the said house from early 2023 to date while she has her own house in Kabwe which the deceased renovated for her, to the detriment of other beneficiaries including the one-year-old children that the deceased left without accommodation or houses to live in," she said.
Ms Kuntepa said the administrators had continued to draw an amount of K100, 000 from the businesses and rentals each and the children are given K3, 333 each.
She added that Ms Tawanda Tafwakose Ngulube collects K30, 000 on behalf of the deceased's mother and the alleged dependents who are her siblings and their children.
Ms Kuntepa stated that the widow collects K20, 000 which she shares with an alleged co-wife.
"That I also beseech this court to grant an order that the distribution of the estate to the said minors be done under the strict and direct supervisor of the Administrator General as this will be in the best interest of all the beneficiaries because the two administrators are incapable of fairly distributing the estate," she submitted.